A
man once told his wife, "I love you in my own way." She did not feel
loved, however - nor cherished, or appreciated or valued. He never loved her as she needed to be loved.
She felt like a slave who attended to her husband night and day. The more she gave, the more he took. Her only thanks was to know that she actually served God through every loving act.
She felt like a slave who attended to her husband night and day. The more she gave, the more he took. Her only thanks was to know that she actually served God through every loving act.
Loving
in a loveless situation is the best and highest calling God can give to us. The
wounded individual, which we chose to yoke up with for life, needs us more than
we need him/her. They may never love us as we need to be loved, but God does.
God
is really good at loving us. His Word tells us that He loved, therefore He
gave. What a simple way to express love: to give to others without expecting to receive anything in return. God gave us His most precious gift - the sacrifice of His only
begotten Son.
If
we are wise and humble enough to receive His gift, we will never perish, but we
will share in His eternal life (John 3:16-18; Romans 3:23, 6:23). He chose us
as His own children before He even created the world on which we live. He has a
perfect plan for each of us (Ephesians 2:10).
From
God's viewpoint, we are elected and predestined for His purpose. We spin our
wheels when we walk outside of His will for us. We may attain fame and fortune
on this earth, but we will never be satisfied unless He is the center of our
world (Colossians 3:3-4).
There
are many issues in life that we do not like or understand; but we live by faith
in God's faithfulness, even when we do not comprehend His purpose or His ways
(2 Corinthians 5:7). When life scares us, which it often does, we put our trust
in Him alone (Psalm 56:3-4).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for giving us Your example of how to love others
unconditionally, whether we ever reap what we sow or not. We give because we
love You, not in order to receive. We trust in You with our whole heart, and we
do not rely on our human understanding (Proverbs 3:5).
We
seek Your will each moment of our day, and consult You before we make any plans
at all; knowing that You will make our way smoother than if we try to live on
our own (Proverbs 3:6). As we do, You fill us with Your hope, joy and peace
that exceed our finite comprehension (Romans 15:13).
Thought
for the Day:
We
are always able to give without loving, but if we truly love, we will always
give what the object of our affection wants and needs; sometimes, that unconditional
love hurts us when we give it, but it always blesses the recipient of our love,
and fills our heart with love and peace as we serve others for the Lord's sake.
-
Colossians 3:23-24
